L’émergence rapide de la Chine s’est accompagnée d’une hausse considérable des inégalités, qui a entrainé de profondes mutations touchant à la fois la structure de l’économie et celle de la société chinoise. L’objectif de cette thèse est de fournir une meilleure compréhension de la diversité de ces transformations, en combinant les analyses macro et microéconomique, et les approches économique et sociologique. Ce travail mobilise tout d’abord des données provinciales afin de dresser un état des lieux du niveau d’inégalités régionales et de la concentration spatiale de la richesse. La récente baisse des disparités régionales peut, entre autres, s’expliquer par l’existence d’effets de diffusion de la croissance entre les différentes provinces chinoises. Par la suite, l’étude est complétée par l’utilisation de données issues d’enquêtes-ménages. L’analyse de la polarisation des revenus en zones urbaines et rurales permet de faire ressortir des modifications dans leur distribution, notamment en mettant en évidence la constitution de groupes de revenus intermédiaires. Une étude approfondie de la classe moyenne urbaine chinoise est ensuite menée afin d’en identifier les membres sur la base du revenu, et de montrer l’hétérogénéité de cette catégorie en termes d’emploi et d’éducation. Enfin, à partir de l’exemple des comportements de consommation alimentaire et du rapport social au corps, le rôle précurseur de la classe moyenne dans la transition nutritionnelle est mis en avant. Au final, la classe moyenne chinoise apparaît comme une catégorie centrale pour la poursuite du développement du pays. / The rapid emergence of China has been accompanied by a significant increase in inequalities, resulting in profound changes affecting both the economic and social structures of China. The purpose of this doctoral thesis is to provide a better understanding of the diversity of these transformations, by combining macro and microeconomic analyses, together with economic and sociological approaches. Firstly, this research mobilizes provincial data in order to give a general overview of the level of regional disparities and of the spatial concentration of wealth. The recent decline in regional disparities can, among other things, be explained by the existence of growth spillover effects between Chinese provinces. Subsequently, the study is supplemented by the use of household survey data. The analysis of income polarization in rural and urban areas allows to highlight some shifts in its distribution, emphasizing in particular the constitution of population clusters in intermediate income ranges. An intensive investigation on the Chinese urban middle class is thereafter conducted so as to identify its members on an income-based definition, and to underline the heterogeneity of this category regarding employment and education. Finally, based on the example of food consumption and social attitude towards body weight, the vanguard role of middle class in the nutrition transition is highlighted. To conclude, the Chinese middle class appears to be a central category to ensure the further development of China.

No description available.

This thesis presents a critical reflection on what is meant by a 'Green Revolution' within the current, narrow 'productivity-technology fix' paradigm. It shows the current focus on productivity is creating a limited view of technology as the principal means to address food insecurity in Africa, as opposed to a more comprehensive view that takes into account economic, social and political factors. The research combines a socio-technical systems approach with an actor-oriented analysis to examine two input-support programmes in Kenya. It focuses on input-support programmes due to the current interest in subsidies as the mechanism to address food insecurity and deliver agricultural technologies to smallholder farmers. It examines the political, social and institutional factors that influence the creation, design and implementation of these programmes. A multi-level approach (global, national and local) is used to map out the key narratives and actor networks operating in and across the different levels to highlight the dynamic interactions as they come together through these programmes. The thesis demonstrates how intermediary factors (institutions, policy and social networks) significantly affect programme outcomes. The two case studies show that policy and practice often diverge through changing actors, networks and funding flows. Each programme implementation is mediated through socially differentiated beneficiaries, creating interactions that unfold in numerous ways due to distinct social, political and economic factors, as well as to unique institutional and delivery mechanisms. The evidence suggests that technology-based programmes that fail to take account of these critical factors will encounter difficulties in uptake. Therefore, policymakers must consider context-specific approaches that appreciate the diversity of local conditions and the importance of socio-economic, institutional and political factors. The underlying message is that the impact of agricultural technologies on the practices and perceptions of smallholder farmers cannot be understood in isolation; end users constantly adapt technologies through complex social interpretations, local institutions and political processes.

The transfer of technology to developing countries constitutes one of the major debates in the literature on development economics. The present empirical investigation is intended to contribute to the large existing literature on technological transfer. Its major contribution lies in demonstrating rigorously that the integration of foreign technologies is greatly affected by the socio-economic conditions of the recipient countries. The present study attempts to identify the main socioeconomic characteristics involved in assimilating transferred technlogy. It first provides a quantifiable measure of the rate of technological absorption. Then, in presenting the selection of indicators, the general procedures followed in choosing the sample of countries are summarized and the principles guiding the choice of variables are examined. The model is based on multiple regression analysis, which is discussed in some detail. Another statistical method is used to explore the interdependence of the economic and social indicators, which provides more exact knowledge about their various interactions and lays the groundwork for the problem at hand. Three main indicators are identified that explain a significant-. sixty one percent of the total variance of the dependent variable. These main indicators are the rate of education, trade policies and the availability of certain consumer products. It is found that these variables express different and important dimensions of the third world economy. In general, the results reveal that the rate of technology integration varies greatly with the level of socio economic development. The findings of the investigation are analysed using new and efficient methods of diagnostic techniques, and are also seen within their theoretical perspectives. The analysis of results is concluded with a discussion of intangible factors that cannot as yet be quantified; factors such as political and managerial quality and yet can be expected to have significant effects on the rate of technological integration.

Why do we observe such dramatic differences in labour productivity across countries in the macro data? This thesis argues that the growth empirics literature oversimplifies the complexity of the production process across countries and neglects data cross-section and time-series properties, leading to bias in the empirical estimates. Chapter 1 presents two general empirical frameworks for cross-country productivity analysis and demonstrates that they encompass the growth empirics literature of the past decades. We introduce our central argument of cross-country heterogeneity in the impact of observables and unobservables on output and develop this against the background of the pertinent time-series and cross-section properties of macro panel data. Chapter 2 uses data from 48 countries to estimate manufacturing production functions. We discuss standard and novel estimators, focusing on their treatment of parameter heterogeneity and data time-series and cross-section properties. We develop the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) estimator and show its similarity to the Pesaran (2006) Common Correlated Effects (CCE) approach. Our results confirm parameter heterogeneity across countries in the impact of observable inputs on output. We check the robustness of this finding and highlight its implications for empirical measures of TFP. Chapter 3 investigates the heterogeneity of agricultural production technology using data for 128 countries. We develop an extension to the CCE estimators which allows us to suggest that TFP is structured such that countries with similar agro-climatic environment are influenced by the same unobserved factors. This finding offers a possible explanation for the failure of technology-transfer from advanced countries of the temperate 'North' to developing countries of the arid/equatorial 'South'. Our Monte Carlo simulations in Chapter 4 investigate the performance of the AMG, CCE and standard (micro-)panel estimators. Failure to account for cross-section dependence is shown to result in serious distortion of the empirical estimates. We highlight scenarios in which the AMG is biased and offer simple remedies.

The thesis examines the interface between theology and development by a careful examination of the Holy Spirit as presented in the third article of the Nicene Creed with reference to how that interacts with some of the foremost development thinkers. It shows that there is indeed considerable overlap between the Missio Dei and the (secular) field of development and that they share a common end. The Holy Spirit is shown to be a primary tool in development as well as the eschaton of development both on a personal and a global social level. The thesis aims to make a contribution to the development of a theology for development by suggesting and investigating areas of our faith, that can be emphasised, interpreted and reinterpreted in the formation of a theology for development. We must begin to discover new understandings and possibilities as approaches to theology that while consistent with the faith of the church, are also able to take their place in the world as tools of development. This thesis hopes to make a contribution to setting out in a anew way of thinking by returning to the fore Christianity's original and inherent focus of transforming this world and its involvement and coherence with development. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu- Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

African states are often called corrupt indicating that the political system in Africa differs from the one prevalent in the economically advanced democracies. This however does not give us any insight into what makes corruption the ruling norm of African statehood. Thus we must turn to the overly neglected theoretical work on the political economy of Africa in order to determine how the poverty of governance in Africa is firmly anchored both in Africa’s domestic socioeconomic reality, as well as in the region’s role in the international economic order. Instead of focusing on increased monitoring, enforcement and formal democratic procedures, this book integrates economic analysis with political theory in order to arrive at a better understanding of the political-economic roots of corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa. / Häufig werden die afrikanischen Staaten als durch und durch ‚korrumpiert‘ bezeichnet, also unterstellt, dass sich die politischen Systeme Sub-Sahara Afrikas in ihrer Funktionsweise von denen fortgeschrittener Demokratien unterscheiden, ohne dass deutlich wird, was Korruption zur Norm afrikanischer Staatlichkeit macht. Aus diesem Grund greift diese Studie auf bereits vorliegende, aber häufig vernachlässigte theoretische Arbeiten zur politischen Ökonomie Sub-Sahara Afrikas zurück. Es wird gezeigt, wie ‚bad governance‘ in den sozioökonomischen Gegebenheiten afrikanischer Staaten verankert ist und welche Bedeutung die Rolle der afrikanischen Staaten innerhalb der Weltwirtschaftsordnung spielt. Anstatt immerzu die verschärfte Aufsicht und die Durchsetzung rechtsstaatlicher Prinzipien zu fordern, integriert diese Studie ökonomische Analyse mit politischer Theorie, um die politökonomischen Wurzeln der Korruption in Sub-Sahara Afrika besser verstehen zu können.

Societies frequently implement land use policies to regulate resource extraction or to regulate development. However, two important policy questions remain unresolved. First, how effective are land use regulations? Second, how do land use regulations affect socioeconomic conditions? Three issues complicate the evaluation of land use policies: (1) overt bias may lead to incorrect estimates of policy effects if implementation is nonrandom; (2) the policy may affect outcomes in neighboring unregulated lands; and (3) unobservable differences between regulated and unregulated lands may lead to biased assessments. Previous evaluations of land use policies fail to address these sources of bias simultaneously. In this dissertation, I develop an approach, using matching methods, which jointly accounts for these complications. I apply the approach to evaluate the effects of Costa Rica s protected areas on land use and socioeconomic outcomes between 1960 and 2000. I find that: (1) protection prevented the deforestation of only 10 percent or less of protected forests; (2) protection resulted in reforestation of only 20 percent of non-forest areas that were protected; (3) protection had little effect on land use outside protected areas, most likely because, as noted above, protected areas had only small effects on land use inside protected areas; and (4) there is little evidence that protected areas had harmful impacts on the livelihoods of local communities: on the contrary, I find that protection had small positive effects on socioeconomic outcomes. Furthermore, the methods traditionally used to conduct such evaluations are biased. In contrast to the findings above, those conventional methods overestimated the amount of avoided deforestation and erroneously implied that protection had negative impacts on the livelihoods of local communities. This dissertation contributes to policymaking by providing empirical measures of protected area effectiveness. Although annual global expenditures on protected areas are about $6.5 billion, little is known to date about the returns on these investments. This study also indicates that policymakers should give careful consideration to current proposals to compensate communities living in or around protected areas: contrary to widely held assumptions, the findings suggest that protection may not have harmful effects on socioeconomic outcomes.

Zugl.: Diss. Univ. Duisburg-Essen, 2006.

Alors que les nations du monde se rapprochent et deviennent plus interdépendantes, le contexte global changeant nécessite une recherche académique plus adaptée. Les théories développées pour les démocraties avancées au vingtième siècle ont maintenant besoin d’additions complémentaires, ou peut-être de contreparties divergentes, pour expliquer les processus de développement des pays émergents. Pour traiter ces changements, les académiques ont soit créé de nouvelles théories soit étendu d’anciennes pour les adapter aux pays en développement. Cependant, malgré d’encourageants progrès, la nature dynamique des pays en cours de développement, à la fois économiquement et politiquement, implique qu’une large travail reste à accomplir. La littérature sur les développements institutionnels dans le domaine de l’économie politique pour les pays avancés est, tout en évoluant, bien établie. Les théories qui soutiennent cette thèse viennent d’études de capitalisme comparatif (CC) sur les pays avancés. Cette thèse donne un aperçu de l’impact de la structure économique sur les institutions économiques et politiques, l’évolution de ces institutions, et comment ces institutions affectent l’état social d’un pays, avec une importance particulière accordée aux résultats de l’état social. Après un premier chapitre introductif, le chapitre deux suggère que les pays en développement caractérisés par des économies plus coordonnées devraient avoir des systèmes électoraux plus proportionnels. Le chapitre trois continue avec cette idée et suggère que les économies coordonnées devraient produire des états sociaux plus généreux avec de hautes dépenses gouvernementales. Aussi, ces pays devraient avoir des résultats sociaux plus optimaux, tels que des baisses d’inégalités et des niveaux de pauvreté. Cette évolution connective peut être expliquée par la co-évolution des institutions économiques et politiques. Afin de mieux comprendre la formation et la variété des états sociaux dans les pays en développement, le chapitre quatre ne considère qu’une région, Afrique Subsaharienne (AS). Ce chapitre considère aussi comment la générosité de l’état social influe les résultats de la protection sociale. / As nations around the world become closer and increasingly interdependent, the changing global context requires a parallel advancement of academic research. Theories developed for advanced democracies in the twentieth century now require complimentary additions, or perhaps diverging counterparts, to help explain the developmental processes of developing countries. To address these changes, scholars have created new theories or extended old ones to consider developing countries. However, despite the positive and thorough advancements thus far, the dynamic nature of countries undergoing development and transition, both economic and political, means that the work is far from finished. The literature on institutional developments in the political economy for advanced democracies is, while still evolving, well established. The theories supporting the research within this thesis rely on comparative capitalism studies and the varieties of capitalism approach focused on advanced democracies. The purpose of this thesis is, using the key tenants of comparative capitalism and the varieties of capitalism theory, to expand this literature to developing countries. After the introduction found in chapter one, chapter two suggests that developing countries with more coordinated economies should have more proportional electoral rule systems, which are a type of political institution. Chapter three continues along the idea of this subject by suggesting that these coordinated economies, which have more proportional electoral rules systems, according to chapter two, should produce more generous welfare states with higher government spending and more optimal welfare outcomes, such as low inequalities and low levels of poverty. This connective story can be explained by the co-evolution of economic and political institutions. In order to understand more deeply welfare state formation and variety, along with how welfare generosity affects welfare outcomes in developing countries, chapter four takes a closer look at one region in particular, Sub­-Saharan Africa.